2005 Xterra Will Be Eighth New U.S.-Built Vehicle From Nissan
in Two Years

NEW YORK--April 7, 2004--

More Than $2 Billion Invested for
Localized Design, Engineering and Manufacturing, Creating More
Than 6,000 New U.S. Jobs at the Automaker

Nissan North
America's first quarter sales soared more than 30 percent this
year, and the 2005 Nissan Xterra, unveiled here at the New York
International Auto Show, will add yet another chapter in the
company's success story when it goes into production at
Nissan's Smyrna, Tenn., assembly plant early next year.

U.S.-built products like the Xterra are a significant part of
Nissan's goal to sell 1 million additional units worldwide by
the end of 2005. In fact, in less than two years, eight all-new
vehicles will go into production at the automaker's
manufacturing facilities in the U.S., a launch schedule that's
practically unprecedented in the history of the automotive
industry.

New Models, New Investment

The Maxima
mid-size sedan, previously built in Japan, went into production
at Nissan's award-winning assembly plant in Smyrna, Tenn., in
February 2003. Later this fall, production of the 2005 Nissan
Pathfinder will also transfer from Japan to Smyrna, creating
additional jobs to support the launch of the all-new, 7-seat
SUV.

In fact, total employment at Nissan's three
manufacturing facilities in the U.S. has doubled -- from about
5,700 employees in 2000 to more than 11,300 today. And that
doesn't include the on-site contractor jobs, now totaling more
than 3,800, nor the thousands of new jobs at its suppliers.

"As a global company, Nissan has production facilities
in every region where we sell our products," said Carlos Ghosn,
President and CEO, Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. "This allows us to
not only better react to variables such as currency
fluctuations, transportation costs and changes in demand, but
also to market and build vehicles specifically for the needs of
that particular region."

For example, while versions of
the all-new Pathfinder will be built in Europe, Japan and North
America, each will be tailored for those markets, allowing
differences in specific features, such as engines and
suspension settings.

Full-Size Vehicles, Full-Size
Production

This strategy also played a part in Nissan's
decision to invest more than $1.4 billion in an all-new, 3.5
million-square-foot plant in Canton, Miss., to build the
company's first full-sized vehicles.

"For Nissan to be
considered a full-line manufacturer in North America, and to
meet our goal of selling 1 million additional units worldwide
by 2005, we knew we had to add a full-size truck and SUV as
well as a large minivan to our model line," Ghosn said. "And
because these types of vehicles are unique to North America, it
was imperative that we design, engineer, source and build them
here, by Americans, for Americans."

As a result, since
Nissan broke ground on the Canton facility less than three
years ago, more than 4,500 new jobs have been created in the
area to support the production of the Quest minivan, Titan
full-size pickup truck and Armada full-size SUV. The highly
trained employees at this facility also build the QX56
full-size luxury SUV, the first Infiniti-brand vehicle to be
produced outside of Japan.

And, due to Nissan's
increased North American sales goals and aggressive export
plans, the Canton facility was expanded to include supplemental
production of the Altima, its popular mid-size sedan. The
Altima, currently built at Nissan's Smyrna plant, will also
begin rolling off the Canton assembly line this summer.

Powering Nissan's Growth

Nissan also builds all of the
engines that power its North American-built vehicles in the
U.S. Due to the automaker's expanded U.S. production as well as
the introduction of its full-size truck and SUVs, employment
has also been expanded at its Decherd, Tenn., engine plant.

In fact, this versatile facility, which produces two
different 4-cylinder engines, several versions of Nissan's
award-winning 3.5-liter V-6, as well as the powerful new
5.6-liter V-8 engine for the company's full-size pickups and
SUVs, has quadrupled in size since 2000 as part of a $1 billion
expansion in Tenn.

This plant soon will begin
assembling a new 4.0-liter V-6 engine, which will power the
Xterra and Pathfinder as well as an all-new Frontier pickup
that will go into production in early 2005.

Engineering
Expansion

Nissan's employment has also increased
significantly at its facilities all over the United States,
including its headquarters in Gardena, Calif.; Nissan Technical
Center North America (NTCNA) in Farmington Hills, Mich.; Nissan
Motor Acceptance Corp. (NMAC) in Dallas; and, Nissan Design
America in San Diego.

All told, more than 1,000 new,
non-manufacturing jobs have been created by Nissan in just the
past four years.

In addition, a $40 million expansion
at NTCNA is almost complete, significantly increasing the
automaker's design, engineering and development capabilities.

This expansion involves new workspaces for hundreds of
designers, engineers and purchasing staff, and a significant
increase in studio space for Nissan Design America - Farmington
Hills.

About Nissan North America

In North
America, Nissan's operations include automotive styling,
engineering, consumer and corporate financing, sales and
marketing, distribution and manufacturing.